Big Ben, the bell that accompanies one of the most reliable timepieces in the world, ground to a halt for 90 minutes on Friday evening, to the great puzzlement of many.

The minute hand on the clock face of St Stephen's Tower at the Palace of Westminster, central London, stopped moving at 2207 British Summer Time (BST) and began moving again slowly but stalled a second time at 2220 BST and remained still for 90 minutes, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported Saturday.

The cause of the stoppage is unknown, but the hot weather could be to blame.

Temperatures in London on Friday reached 31.8 degrees centigrade(90 degrees Fahrenheit), which has been cited as one possible factor for the stoppage.

The clock has only stopped a few times since it was completed in1858. In 1962 snow accumulation on the hands caused it to ring in the New Year 10 minutes late.

But during the Second World War, despite dozens of attacks by Germany's Luftwaffe bombers, the clock kept within one and a half seconds of GMT. The most recent stoppage was recorded on 30 April 1997 - 24 hours before the general election, and then again three weeks later.

The clock's bell is named Big Ben after Sir Benjamin Hall who commissioned it.

Source: Xinhua